How Does A Wireless Dog Fence Work?

The main thrust of this article is to explain how a wireless dog fence works.

In addition to that, you’ll also find out why they’re so popular and what situations they’re not ideal for. Armed with this knowledge, you can decide if this type of electric dog fence is the right choice for your situation

How Does A Wirless Fence Work?

Let’s start by talking about how a wireless fence works. Have a look at the diagram below while I explain:

Your centrally located transmitter sends out a radio signal which creates a circular boundary around your pet’s containment area, aka the Safe Zone of your yard.

In this diagram the Safe Zone extends 90 feet in every direction giving you a circular containment area of about 1/2 an acre.

Depending on what fence you buy, your Safe Zone can be adjusted anywhere from a minimum of about 10 ft up to a maximum of almost 3 acres.

Your dog wears a special receiver collar and as long as the collar is picking up the signal from the transmitter your pet is free to run around the Safe Zone without getting any type of correction.

But if your canine buddy gets too close to the Correction Zone their receiver collar beeps to warn them that it’s time to turn around.

If they ignore the warning beep and continue to move toward the hidden boundary the contact points on their collar will deliver a mild electric stimulation – also called a static correction – that’s designed to be uncomfortable but will not hurt them.

The static correction reminds them that they’re somewhere they shouldn’t be and encourages them to retreat back to the Safe Zone of the yard.

Why Are Wireless Dog Fences So Popular?

There are 3 main reasons why wireless fences have become so popular:

They’re quick and easy to set up. You can have a wireless fence up and running in less than an hour.

They’re very low maintenance. With no wire to bury, you’ll never have to work about wire breaks or replacing your wire.

They’re completely portable. You can take them with you wherever you go and use them to create a safe space for your dog anywhere, anytime.

When Is A Wireless Dog Fence Not Ideal?

Despite their quick easy set up and portability, all wireless fences have limitations – situations where they don’t work well. In order for you to decide if a wireless fence is the right choice for you, it’s important for you to know what those limitations are.

Here are 4 main limitations of wireless dog fences:

They can only give you a circular shaped boundary. So if you have an odd or narrow shaped yard or if you have very close neighbors, the circular shape of the boundary may not work.

The boundary tends to fluctuate. Much like your cell phone, sometimes you get great reception and other times not so much.

They don’t work well in yards with lots of trees or steep slopes. Wireless fences do best in wide open spaces where there aren’t lots of obstructions to block the signal transmitted between the transmitter and receiver collar.

They don’t transmit well through metal so metal siding on your house or a metal shed on your property may cause problems with your fence.

Those are the 4 main limitations of any wireless fence. If any of these are cause for concern, you might want to check out underground dog fences. Although they’re more effort to set up and maintain, in-ground fence don’t have any of the limitations that wireless fences do. You can install them in any type of terrain, they give you a crisp clear boundary, they’re not affected by metal and you’re not limited to a circular shaped boundary.

So Is A Wireless Dog Fence Right For You?

There’s no doubt about it: Wireless dog fences are an excellent way to keep your dog safe and secure in your yard.

Despite their limitations, people are drawn to wireless fences because they’re quick and easy to set up and maintain and they’re completely portable. That means you can take your fence with you no matter where you travel and in less than 30 minutes you can have a safe place to contain your furry friend, whether you’re at the beach, the cabin, a campground or visiting friends and relatives.

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Our goal with Dig Your Dog is to make it easy for you to find the perfect electric dog fence. To that end, we've done all the leg work and analyzed every little detail about each model. And we've put all the information you need in one location to help you feel confident about the fence you choose. Thanks for visiting!

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